Elon Softball Hits Road for Four-Game Stretch

ELON, N.C. – The Elon softball team got back to its winning ways last weekend and will look to continue strong play into this week’s games. The Phoenix will make the short trip to Raleigh tomorrow, April 19, for a 6 p.m. non-conference game at North Carolina State. Road games continue over the weekend with a three-game Southern Conference series at Western Carolina beginning Saturday, April 21, at 1 p.m.

A Look at the Phoenix (19-14, 8-7 SoCon)
Elon snapped a seven-game losing streak last weekend with a series win over Appalachian State. The Phoenix won both games of the doubleheader on Saturday with an 8-0 win in five innings and then a 7-4 victory in the second game. The Mountaineers kept the maroon and gold from sweeping them by winning Sunday’s finale by a score of 4-3 in 11 innings. Carleigh Nester led the team, batting .538 after going 7-of-13 in five games. Elon ranks third nationally in double plays per game with 19 double plays in 33 games, averaging 0.58 plays per game.

Scouting the Wolfpack (21-25)
NC State is looking to get back in the win column after dropping three games at North Carolina over the weekend. The Wolfpack is led by the freshman duo of Renada Davis and Emily Weiman. Davis leads State in batting (.355), hits (44) and runs (27), while Weiman ranks 23rd nationally in strikeouts with 185. Morgan Peeler owns the team’s lowest ERA of 2.54.

Scouting the Catamounts (16-29, 3-12 SoCon)
Although WCU was swept by Chattanooga over the weekend, senior outfielder Erin Foster was named the SoCon Player of the Week. Foster turned in an average of .522 with 12 hits, including four homers, in seven games last week. The Catamounts were able to take the Lady Mocs into extra innings for just the second time this season. Foster leads WCU with a .375 batting average and 43 RBI, while Jordan Garrett owns an ERA of 4.21 after 136.1 innings.

The Series
The all-time series between the Phoenix and Wolfpack is close with State owning the 6-5 record. However, NC State has won the last six games. Last year in Elon, N.C., the Wolfpack claimed a close 4-2 win in the first game before winning 13-1 in five innings in the second game.

Elon is currently riding a six-game winning streak against Western Carolina and holds a 12-3 all-time record. The Phoenix has swept the Catamounts in the past two years’ series with WCU’s last victory coming on May 7, 2009, in the SoCon Tournament.

The Bocock Box
Heading into this week, interim head coach Kathy Bocock is 19-14 at the helm of the Phoenix program. She holds a 255-410 career coaching record.

On Deck
After this week’s games, Elon will travel to Farmville, Va., on Wednesday, April 25, for a doubleheader against Longwood starting at 4 p.m. The Phoenix will remain on the road with a big series at SoCon leader Georgia Southern on Saturday, April 28 – Sunday, April 29.